The Beginning of the End
by csjr
Summary: This is basically a series of 'missing scenes' from the end of series one up to the beginning of series two, since there were a few loose ends that were never resolved. It also contains flashbacks to Martha and Clive's trip to Nottingham.
1. Chapter 1

"What's going on?"

Niamh's voice broke through as Martha and Clive sat on the steps outside the court. Her expression had changed from jealousy to concern as she saw Martha's head buried in Clive's shoulder, his arms rocking her gently as she made little whimpers of pain against his robes.

Clive turned to see his pupil standing motionless behind them. "Niamh, can you call an ambulance?" he said desperately. "Martha's hurt."

Niamh pulled out her phone and pressed 999 quickly. "Ambulance, please. There's a pregnant woman, she's collapsed..."

The ambulance arrived within minutes. As Martha was loaded onto the stretcher, Clive made to get in the ambulance with her. "I'm the father, I'm coming with her," he told the paramedics.

"No... Clive..." Martha's voice came out small. Clive leaned in to hear her. "You need to talk to the judge, explain we need an adjournment till tomorrow."

"Niamh can do that."

"No... you know the case. You need to tell Mark where I've gone. Please, Clive. Niamh can come with me."

Clive reluctantly stepped out of the ambulance and Niamh climbed in in his place. He watched as the ambulance drove away.

* * *

_14 weeks earlier_

_It was an armed robbery they were defending in Nottingham. The two defendants were both guilty as sin of course, but that wasn't the point. The police had a grudge against the first defendant and had used very questionable methods to extract a confession from the second. By the time they had finished cross-examining everyone involved in the investigation and discrediting the forensic evidence, the jury were about ready to give the pair on trial knighthoods. They had taken less than half an hour to acquit them both. Not bad for an open-and-shut case._

_Back at the hotel they had celebrated in the bar before moving to Clive's room. They downed bottles from the mini-bar, clinking their drinks together and throwing them back. Then suddenly his lips were on hers, her hands were fumbling with the buttons on his shirt and he was pushing her back on the bed and exploring her. The first time had been fast and frenzied, 15 years or repressed desire coming to fruition. The second time had been slow and tender, his eyes fixed on hers as he moved above her._

_In the morning she woke to find his arm draped slightly across her shoulders, his breathing slow and even. She disentangled herself without waking him and crept back to her room, managing to avoid seeing him again until the time came to drive home._

* * *

Clive walked back into the court, heading for the judge's chamber. As he went down the corridor, he saw Gary Rush still being restrained, now by police. Anger came over Clive in waves and without thinking about it he ran up and grabbed Rush by the collar, fear for Martha giving him strength he didn't know he had. "Do you know what you've done to her?" he snarled.

Rush shoved him back, but his anger was muted now. "The bitch lied to me."

"She was trying to help you!" Clive had to be pulled back by the security guards as Rush was escorted away by the police. Clive gestured to the guards to let him go and then strode off. His anger was being replaced quickly by a sense of guilt. Why hadn't he pulled Rush off Martha sooner? Once he had seen she was in trouble he had ran to help her, but he hadn't been quick enough. Was it because he was scared of Rush? His insides squirmed miserably at the thought. He was such a coward, he couldn't even protect the mother of his child.

"Clive? What's happened?" Nick stood in front of him, his face a mask of concern.

"Martha's gone to hospital." Clive could barely get the words out. "Gary Rush punched her in the stomach."

"My God! Is she okay?"

"I don't know yet." Clive shook his head to clear it. "I need to see the judge, get an adjournment."

"I'll tell Mark." Nick offered.

"No. Martha wanted me to do that." It was the least he could do for her. "Can you go back to Chambers, tell Billy what's happened? Start preparing for trial tomorrow. We might not be able to get a longer adjournment."

"OK." Nick nodded and let Clive pass.

* * *

_"So what happened to you this morning?" Clive questioned Martha as he slid into the passenger side of her car._

_"Let's not do this Clive." Martha started the engine._

_"OK." Clive buckled his seat belt and sat back. Martha drove until the silence became unbearable._

_"Last night was a mistake, alright? We got carried away."_

_"If you say so." Clive shrugged, keeping his eyes ahead. Martha could see he was hurt and trying to hide it._

_"It was nice," she said, as she took the motorway. "But probably shouldn't be repeated. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about it."_

_"What do you think I'm going to do, tell all of Chambers? Are you that ashamed?"_

_"Don't act so hurt Clive. It's not like you haven't got plenty of other offers."_

_They sat in silence for the rest of the journey._

* * *

Niamh stood in the hospital corridor staring at the vending machine. Martha had been whisked quickly into the maternity department as soon as they had arrived. The nurse had suggested she get a cup of tea while Martha was being examined.

This was _all _her fault. Why had she told Gary Rush about Martha's pregnancy? She'd been shocked when she had heard who the father was, had wondered about Martha's motives for warning her off Clive, had felt betrayed and angry with both of them. But she hadn't wanted... _this_. She couldn't get Martha's face in the ambulance out of her mind. Martha had gripped her hand hard as the waves of pain rode over her.

She went back to the ward and waited.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Martha lay in agony as she waited to be examined. She curled onto her side as the cramps in her stomach intensified. It was the worse pain she had felt in her life. She wished Clive was here now.

Through the pain she was aware of hushed voices around her and a cold feeling as a monitor was placed over her stomach. It seemed like hours before the doctor told her what she had already known when she was running down the steps in court, that the baby was gone.

* * *

_Billy was waiting with champagne at the ready when they got back to Chambers. "Here's to the best two barristers in London," he said as he popped the cork. "And may the criminal underbelly of Nottingham give us much more work in the future."_

_"Beautiful speech, Billy," said Clive, glancing at Martha._

_Martha smiled and excused herself. She went and sat at her desk and pretended to be working on the computer._

_Sleeping with Clive had to be the stupidest thing she had ever done. She knew exactly what he was like, had seen him flirt and sleep his way through practically every woman who had passed through Chambers. Yet somehow being away from London and swept up in the excitement of the case, she'd let herself succumb. She could just hear the jokes in the clerks' room if the rest of Chambers found out._

_"Did you have a nice time in Nottingham?" asked Kate, who had followed and was watching her beadily._

_"Yes, well, it was a good result." said Martha tightly._

_"And what about you and Clive? Don't tell me he didn't try his death row speech on you."_

_Martha just glared at Kate, who laughed and swept out of the room._

* * *

The doctors left Martha alone after she gave them permission to let Chambers know what had happened. Niamh came in and sat down beside her bed. "How's the baby?" she asked anxiously.

"There is no baby anymore," said Martha listlessly.

"Oh no, Martha... I'm so sorry."

Martha fingered the flowers at her bedside, the ones that had arrived from Chambers. "You should be preparing for your moot," she said suddenly.

"Don't worry about that. Do you want me to go to your place, get you some clothes?"

"Yes, please." Martha gave Niamh the keys to her flat. She thought of Rush breaking in, maybe going through her things. The thought disgusted her now. Why hadn't she gone to the police?

After Niamh had left a nurse came and helped Martha change into a hospital gown. Her clothes were soaked with blood. She tried not to look at them. She thought about Mark, sitting in a cell right now, and Emma, pregnant with his baby. She wondered if Clive had managed to get an adjournment. If she missed the rest of the trial Nick as her Junior would have to take over. He was nowhere near ready. The thoughts went round and round in her head as the physical pain gradually subsided.

The police visited Martha later in the evening and took a statement from her. She described how she had met Rush, that she had been receiving silent phone calls and believed that Rush had broken into her flat. The police were sympathetic about the miscarriage. They told her that Rush would be charged with Grievous Bodily Harm. _It should be murder_, thought Martha. "One more thing," she said as they were about to leave. "I know that Rush was responsible for the aggravated burglary he was acquitted for."

"If he was acquitted, there's not much we can do," said one of the officers, not unkindly.

"What if some new evidence came forward?"

"That might make a difference, but we'll be focusing on his attack on you. Don't worry, it's very unlikely he'll get bail."

* * *

_Clive was waiting for Martha when she left Chambers. "Fancy a drink?"_

_"No, thanks. I've got a lot of work to do tonight."_

_"Tomorrow, then. I'll even buy you dinner."_

_"No, Clive."_

_"Look, can't we just..."_

_"Clive, I told you, what happened was a mistake."_

_"You seemed to enjoy it," he said, going on the defensive._

_"It was a one-off. I'm not looking for a relationship, and neither are you. I'm sorry, Clive. Let's just forget it happened."_

_She could still feel his eyes on her as she turned and walked to her car._

* * *

Clive arrived back at Shoe Lane and went to get on with his work. As expected, the judge would only allow an adjournment until tomorrow. Billy had phoned the hospital and found out which ward Martha was in, but there was no other news. Clive sat at his desk and tried to prepare for the remainder of the trial. Emma being the real killer complicated things. If Mark decided to point the finger at his girlfriend he would have a whole new defence to run. He tried to concentrate on rereading the witness statements, but he couldn't focus.

After about half an hour he heard the phone ring in the next room, and Billy's voice answer. Getting up quickly, he went and stood in the doorway and listened as Billy spoke. He could tell from his expression that it wasn't good news.

"She's okay, but she's lost the baby."

Billy looked at Clive as he put the phone down.

Clive could feel everyone's eyes on him. He turned and paced back into his room before anyone could see how bright his eyes were.

So the baby was gone, the baby he had wanted Martha to get rid of to begin with. He remembered the panic he had felt when he had first realised he was the father. He could still see the hurt on Martha's face as she told him he'd lost his charm.

Grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair, he made for the door, ignoring Billy and the others as he passed.

He had to see Martha.

* * *

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: This is the final chapter. To those that have favourited, followed or read, please review! All feedback is good feedback.**

* * *

Clive entered the hospital and asked for directions to the maternity ward. He had to physically stop himself from flirting with the woman on reception. What was the matter with him?

When he arrived at Martha's ward, he was told that the police were with her. Just as he was turning to find the nearest waiting room, he saw Niamh walking towards him carrying a holdall. "Clive?"

"Hi." His eyes fell on the bag. "Is that for Martha?"

"Yes, it's just some clothes and books. I'm really sorry about the baby, Clive."

"Thanks. I'll take that if you want." Niamh handed him the bag. "See you tomorrow."

When Clive got to Martha's bed, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He placed the bag next to the bed and sat at her side, watching her sleep until visiting hours ended.

The next morning, Martha awoke to the sound of the alarm on her phone. She saw a text from Billy saying that Kate was taking over the Draper case and not to worry. She lay still for a moment and then got up and began to dress from the bag of clothes that Niamh must have left.

She had a trial to get to.

* * *

_"You up to speed on this one?" Clive inquired as Martha entered the courtroom._

_"Yes," said Martha, trying not to look too flustered. She had managed to avoid Clive fairly successfully in the month that had passed since Nottingham. "Are you co-defending?" Billy hadn't mentioned that she would be sharing this one with Clive._

_"Yeah, big softie this judge. Let's go for it together eh, Marth?" He gave her his most charming smile._

_"Well, I've got a big trial starting in court one in half an hour," Martha said, glancing at her watch._

_Clive took in her slightly harassed appearance. "Well, I've got no mitigation to speak of and you're poor, vulnerable and pregnant. How hard can it be? We'll be twenty minutes, tops."_

_"Stop saying 'tops' like you're someone normal Clive, you went to _Harrow,_" Martha scoffed as she grabbed her files and rushed for the door._

* * *

Martha stood and stared out of the Chambers window. She remembered standing here before, telling Billy that she wasn't going to have an abortion after all.

Maybe she had never deserved this baby.

She turned at the sound of the door opening and saw Clive enter. Quickly she turned back to the window. In a moment Clive had crossed the room and stood facing her. Before she could say anything he leaned forward and pulled her into his arms. Gasping softly, she let her arms come up and press against his back as he held her.

As they pulled apart Billy interrupted. Martha went straight to him and handed him the medal, determined to see Gary Rush brought to justice. She swept into the boardroom, stopping to greet Alan, who kissed her on both cheeks and expressed his condolences.

As they gathered for the moot, Kate approached Clive. "Have you heard?" Clive smiled. Kate stroked his shirt. "This is it!" Clive enjoyed the flirtation. He liked Kate, they had had a thing when she first joined Shoe Lane, but it hadn't gone anywhere. She was probably the only person at Chambers, besides Martha, who saw through all his bullshit and liked him anyway.

They sat with Clive and Martha at the front of the group as Nick and Niamh carried out their speeches. It pained Martha to see Nick make a fool of himself. She had felt proud of him in court earlier, had thought she had underestimated him. Niamh, by contrast, was perfectly professional. Then as they were about to vote, the door swung open and Niamh burst back in.

"I've been given an unfair advantage."

Niamh stood in front of the crowd, determined to tell the truth. It was bad enough that she had caused Martha to lose her baby. She wasn't going to be responsible for taking Nick's career away too.

"You can't help who your father is, Niamh," said Clive quickly. Niamh saw the warning in his eyes. In a moment her resolve faded. She didn't want to get Clive in trouble. "No," she muttered and turned to leave.

"Why did you go back in?" Nick asked as she came out.

"Never mind. Let's go for a drink."

* * *

"This, well it's the biggest moment of my career, it's everything I've worked for. But having two letters after my name doesn't mean anything, if I don't have this, and all of you."

As soon as Billy followed Martha outside, Kate went straight to her desk and began clearing her files. Clive went after her. "What are you doing?"

"Touching as Martha's speech was, we both know Billy will make my life a misery if I stay," Kate snapped. "It's alright for you, you're his golden boy, he'll forgive you anything."

"Where will you go?" Clive asked.

"Not to our new Chambers." Kate stood up and gave Clive a look of barely concealed contempt. "I never should have relied on you getting silk. Of course it was going to be her."

Clive had no answer for that as Kate pushed past him and walked out of Shoe Lane.

* * *

Billy was working late when Alan tapped at the door to the clerks' room. "So, what happened with Mr Reader's silk application?"

Billy sat back in his chair. "I phoned Judge Cranitch, told him about Mr Reader sleeping with his daughter."

"Jesus, Billy," Alan exhaled.

"He would have destroyed this set, sir. Something had to be done."

Alan nodded. "Under the circumstances, I think it's better that neither pupil joins Chambers. Nick Slade is clearly incompetent, and Niamh staying would look rather distasteful."

"What about John, sir?" Billy asked.

"Oh, I think he can be forgiven on this occasion," said Alan lightly. "Miss Brockman taking the decision to leave makes things easier."

"Yes, sir."

"Things are going to have to change around here, Billy," Alan eyed the senior clerk steadily. "Make sure you're not one of the changes."

* * *

As soon as Martha got home she went straight to the record player and put on her favourite song. The music filled her head, blocking out painful memories as she wrapped her arms around herself, tears rolling down her face as she swayed.

_Love me, please love me, all the long night through..._

When the song ended she sat down at the kitchen table with a beer in her hand and pulled back the pink ribbon on the brief Billy had given her to see, again, the result of all her hard work.

_Martha Costello, QC_

Tomorrow was another day.


End file.
